Hangzhou

Hangzhou 杭州市 Hangchow
Prefecture-level and sub-provincial city
Hangzhou CBD skyline Chenghuang Pavilion Lingyin Temple West Lake Leifeng Pagoda Xixi National Wetland Park Yue Fei Temple
Logo
Location of Hangzhou City jurisdiction in Zhejiang
Hangzhou Location of the city center in Zhejiang Hangzhou Location of the city center in China
Coordinates (Zhejiang Municipal People's Government): 30°16′01″N 120°09′11″E
Country	China
Province	Zhejiang
Municipal seat	Shangcheng District
Government
• Type	Sub-provincial city
• Body	Hangzhou Municipal People's Congress
• CCP Secretary	Liu Jie
• Congress Chairman	Li Huolin
• Mayor	Yao Gaoyuan
• CPPCC Chairman	Ma Weiguang
Area
• City	16,821.1 km2 (6,494.7 sq mi)
• Urban	8,259.9 km2 (3,189.2 sq mi)
• Metro	8,107.9 km2 (3,130.5 sq mi)
Population  (2020 census)
• City	11,936,010
• Density	710/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
• Urban	10,711,238
• Urban density	1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
• Metro	13,035,329
• Metro density	1,600/km2 (4,200/sq mi)
• National rank	5th
Demonym(s)	Hangzhounese (杭州人, Hángzhōurén)
GDP
• City	CN¥ 2.186 trillion US$ 306.9 billion
• Per capita	CN¥ 183,143 US$ 25,716
Time zone	UTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code	310000
ISO 3166 code	CN-ZJ-01
Licence plate prefixes	浙A
Regional variety	Wu: Hangzhou dialect
Website	Hangzhou.gov.cn
City tree Camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) City flower Sweet Osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans)

Hangzhou
"Hangzhou" in Chinese characters
Chinese	杭州
Wu	ɦaŋ-tsei (Hangzhou dialect)
Postal	Hangchow
Literal meaning	"Hang Prefecture"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Hángzhōu Wade–Giles Hang2-chou1 IPA [xǎŋ.ʈʂóʊ] Wu Romanization ɦaŋ-tsei (Hangzhou dialect) Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Hong4-zau1 IPA [hɔŋ˩.tsɐw˥] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Hâng-chiu
Qiantang
Simplified Chinese	钱塘
Traditional Chinese	錢塘
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Qiántáng Wade–Giles Ch'ien-t'ang IPA [tɕʰjɛ̌n.tʰǎŋ]

Hangzhou, formerly romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province, China. With a population of 13 million, the municipality comprises ten districts, two counties, and one county-level city in northwestern Zhejiang. Situated at the head of Hangzhou Bay and the estuary of the Qiantang River, the Hangzhou Metropolitan Area is one of the core metropolis in Yangtze Delta.

Established as a county seat in 221 BC, Hangzhou later served as the capital of the Wuyue Kingdom (923–997) and the Southern Song dynasty (1138–1276). In classical Chinese literature, Hangzhou and Suzhou are often jointly called “heaven on earth” for their prosperity and scenic beauty. Venetian traveler Marco Polo once described Hangzhou as the "City of Heaven." Rich in historical heritage, the city is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, namely the West Lake Cultural Landscape, the Grand Canal, and the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, attracting over 100 million visitors annually.

Hangzhou is designated as a sub-provincial city and forms the core of the Hangzhou metropolitan area, the fourth-largest in China. Recognized as an emerging global city, Hangzhou is a leading centre for science, technology, commerce, and finance in China. Ranking ninth in GDP among mainland Chinese cities, Hangzhou is a major technology cluster of global significance, ranked 14th according to the Global Innovation Index. The city hosts the headquarters of major firms such as Alibaba Group, Ant Group, DeepSeek, Geely, and NetEase. According to the Nature Index, it ranks 13th globally in scientific research output.

History

See also: Timeline of Hangzhou

Early history

A ceremonial jade cong of the Liangzhu culture.

Excavations have established that the jade-carving Liangzhu culture, named for its type site just northwest of Hangzhou, inhabited the area immediately around the present city around five thousand years ago. The first of Hangzhou's present neighborhoods to appear in written records was Yuhang, which probably preserves an old Baiyue name. The area was first ruled by the Kingdom of Yue, conquered by Wu in 494 BC, and retaken by Yue four years later, before falling to Chu in 334 BC. After Qin conquered Chu in 222 BC, Ying Zheng established the counties of Qiantang and Yuhang, with Qiantang in present-day Hangzhou. He visited the region in 210 BC as the first emperor of China.

Following the fall of the Qin dynasty and the rise of the Han dynasty, Qiantang was successively granted to Han Xin, Prince of Chu in 202 BC, later to Liu Jia, Prince of Jin, and eventually to Liu Bi, Prince of Wu. After the Rebellion of the Seven States in 154 BC, it became part of the Princedom of Jiangdu, which was abolished in 121 BC. The Commandant of western Kuaiji Commandery then moved his seat to Qiantang. From 4 AD, the county was briefly renamed Quanting before being merged into Yuhang in 30 AD, though it was later restored. In 129, Wu Commandery was established, under which Qiantang and Yuhang remained for the next three centuries. In 587, Houzhu of the Chen dynasty established Qiantang Commandery under Wu Prefecture.

Sui and Tang dynasties

After the Sui conquest of Chen in 589, Emperor Wen abolished the commandery and created Hang Prefecture, also known as Hangzhou. Qiantang County was made the government seat of Hang Prefecture the following year. In 602, Hang Prefecture was renamed Yuhang Commandery, still with Qiantang as its seat.

During the reign of Emperor Wen, a new walled city was built near the Phoenix Mountain to replace the original city, while the Grand Canal was built to connect Hangzhou to the imperial capitals in northern China. Yuhang Commandery was once again restructured into Hang Prefecture in 621. In 742, it was again renamed Yuhang Commandery, before reverting to Hang Prefecture in 758, with Qiantang remaining the administrative centre throughout.

Due to its strategic position at the southern terminus of the Grand Canal, the city flourished as a commercial hub by the mid-Tang dynasty. Under the mayorship of Li Bi (781-784) and Bai Juyi (822-824), the West Lake was dredged for irrigation and wells were dug to provide drinking water for urban residents. This period saw notable population and economic growth, establishing the city as a major center in southeast China.

Wuyue Kingdom

With the decline of the Tang dynasty, Qian Liu from the nearby Lin'an County established the Kingdom of Wuyue in 907, making Hangzhou its capital until the kingdom surrendered to the Song dynasty in 978. During this period, the city was known as Xidu or Xifu, meaning "Western Capital." It became one of the three major cultural centres in southern China during the tenth century, alongside Nanjing and Chengdu. The Wuyue rulers were renowned patrons of the arts, especially Buddhist temple architecture and artwork. A dyke built by Qian Liu to protect the city gave the Qiantang River its modern name. Through maritime trade, Hangzhou also emerged as a hub for cultural and commercial exchange, attracting scholars and businesspeople from across China and beyond.

Song dynasty

In the early Song dynasty, Hangzhou was made the capital of newly established Liangzhe Circuit. The city underwent further development, especially during two mayorships of Su Shi. Hangzhou was designated the temporary capital of the Song dynasty in 1132, after much of northern China had fallen to the Jurchens during the Jin–Song wars. Following the capture of Kaifeng in the Jingkang Incident of 1127, the surviving imperial family fled south. Emperor Gaozong moved successively to Shangqiu and Yangzhou in 1128, before settling in Hangzhou in 1129. The city was then elevated to Lin'an Prefecture. By the Xianchun Era (1265-1274), the prefecture had had a total population of 1.24 million, including over 430,000 in the prefectural seat.

Once the prospect of retaking northern China had diminished, buildings in Hangzhou were extended and renovated to become a permanent imperial capital. The imperial palace in Hangzhou, modest in size, was expanded in 1133 with new roofed alleyways, and in 1148 with an extension of the palace walls. The city walls were built with tamped earth and stone and was 30 feet high and 10 feet thick at its base. There were 13 gates and several towers on the walls. The walls covered the city by four miles north to south and only one mile east to west.

One of the largest cities in the world, Hangzhou was heavily populated and filled with large family estates. It had 12,000 bridges. Bread, pork, rice, and wine were abundant despite the large population. Arab merchants lived in Hangzhou during the Song dynasty, due to the fact that the oceangoing trade passages took precedence over land trade during this time. The Phoenix Mosque was constructed by a Persian settler in Hangzhou at this time. Numerous philosophers, politicians, and men of literature, including Lu You and Xin Qiji came here to live and die. Hangzhou is also the birthplace and final resting place of the scientist Shen Kuo (1031–1095).

Because of the large population and densely crowded wooden buildings, Hangzhou was vulnerable to fires. Major conflagrations destroyed large sections of the city in 1208, 1229, 1237, and 1275. The 1237 fire alone destroyed 30,000 dwellings. However, the worst was the 1208 fire which burned for 4 days in a 3-mile diameter and burnt 58,097 houses as well as killing 59 people. To combat this threat, the city constructed storage buildings that were rented out to merchants where watchmen patrolled by night and was enclosed by water on all sides. The government established an elaborate system for fighting fires, erected watchtowers, devised a system of lantern and flag signals to identify the source of the flames and direct the response, and charged more than 3,000 soldiers with the task of putting out fire.

Yuan dyansty

Hangzhou was besieged and captured by the advancing Mongol armies of Kublai Khan in 1276, three years before the fall of the Song dynasty. Historian Patricia Buckley Ebrey notes that, unlike the brutal Siege of Kaifeng in 1232—where the Mongols killed hundreds of members of the Jurchen royal family—Hangzhou and the Chinese imperial family were largely spared. The Mongols rehired Chinese officials and arranged marriages of Chinese artisans in Xanadu with palace women.

Lin'an Prefecture was first downgraded to a prefecture in 1277 and then restructured as a circuit in the following year. Although the Yuan dynasty established its capital in Khanbaliq (modern-day Beijing), Hangzhou remained a key commercial and administrative center in the south. Foreign travelers, including Venetian merchant Marco Polo and Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta, often described the city, known variously as Khinzai, Campsay, al-Khansā and other names, as one of the greatest cities in the world. Nevertheless, by the late 13th century, siltation of the Qiantang River had caused Hangzhou’s seaport to decline, diverting maritime traffic to Ningbo.

In 1356, Zhang Shicheng launched a rebellion and briefly occupied Hangzhou, but the city was soon recaptured by the Mongols. After surrendering to them in 1359, he oversaw the expansion of the city walls. In 1366, rebel forces led by Zhu Yuanzhang captured Hangzhou and downgraded it from a circuit to a fu. Zhu went on to unify China, proclaiming himself emperor in Nanjing and defeating the remaining Yuan forces in 1368.

Ming and Qing dynasties

During the Ming dynasty, Hangzhou became the capital of Zhejiang Province. Hangzhou gradually recovered from wars, regained its prosperity by the mid-15th century. Since the mid-Ming era, renewed dredging projects rekindled public interest in West Lake. As Hangzhou developed as a publishing centre, the production of geographic texts stimulated tourism, which in turn further fuelled the publishing industry. The period of time saw the publication of a series of books on local history and culture, inspiring Japanese gardens such as the Kyū Shiba Rikyū Garden.

The Manchu forces captured Hangzhou in 1645, after the Shunzhi Emperor established the Qing dynasty of China in 1644. In 1648, the Manchu constructed a new walled city within the original city to serve as the Manchu city. During the High Qing era, Hangzhou became a favoured destination for Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong, who visited the city five and six times respectively during their reigns. In 1856 and again in 1860, Hangzhou was occupied by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The city suffered extensive damage during its capture, occupation, and eventual recapture by Qing forces.

In 1867, American Presbyterians established the Hangchow Presbyterian Boys’ School, which later developed into Hangchow University. In 1869, the British Church Missionary Society launched a medical mission in the city, leading to the founding of Hangzhou’s first Western-style hospital in 1871. In 1873, the Case of Yang Naiwu and Little Cabbage—one of the most infamous miscarriages of justice in Qing China—captivated national attention through newspapers in Shanghai, during which Empress Dowager Cixi removed her political enemies in Zhejiang.

In 1895, following China’s defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, Hangzhou was declared a treaty port in 1895. A Japanese concession and consulate were established near the Gongchen Bridge in 1896, followed in 1897 by British, American, French, Italian, and Swiss concessions, along with a British consulate. The Japanese concession became associated with the establishment of opium dens, brothels, and gambling houses, and Japanese authorities were reported to have colluded with local gangs.

In response to growing foreign influence, Lin Qi, then mayor of Hangzhou, founded several key educational institutions. In 1897, he established Qiushi Academy— a major predecessor of Zhejiang University— and the Sericultural Academy, which later became Zhejiang Sci-Tech University. In 1899, he founded Yangzheng School, the forerunner of both Hangzhou High School and Hangzhou No. 4 High School. In 1906, local Zhejiang merchants crowdfunded the construction of a railway from Zhakou to Gongchen Bridge, which was later extended to Shanghai in 1909.

Republican era

The 1911 Revolution overthrew the Qing dynasty and led to the establishment of the Republic of China. In 1912, Hangzhou Fu was abolished and replaced by Hang County, and the Manchu city enclosure was dismantled. The former city walls along West Lake were transformed into Hubin Park, while the area within the walls became a marketplace. During Yuan Shikai’s brief attempt to restore the monarchy from 1915 to 1916, his Beiyang military officer in Hangzhou was expelled by local police and military forces. As a result, Zhejiang declared temporary independence from 1916 to 1917. In 1920, in the wake of the May Fourth Movement, the provincial government dismissed Jing Xiangyi as president of Zhejiang Provincial First Normal School, sparking student protests city‑wide.

In 1927, KMT forces captured Hangzhou, established it as a municipality, and made it the capital of Zhejiang Province. The National Third Chung Shan University, later renamed Zhejiang University in 1928, was founded soon after. In 1929, the West Lake Exhibition attracted over 1,000 groups and 17.61 million visits, leading to the creation of the West Lake Museum after its closure. In 1933, the provincial government built the Hangzhou–Jiangshan Railway while maintaining financial autonomy. In 1935, after Zhejiang University students joined the December 9th Movement, President Zing-Yang Kuo expelled the student union leader and was, in turn, expelled by the students. Chiang Kai-shek later mediated the conflict, appointing Chu Kochen as the new president.

In 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War escalated into full-scale conflict, with Chinese forces successfully defending Jianqiao Airport against Japanese air raids. The Qiantang River Bridge, completed in September, became a key route for Chinese retreats until it was destroyed in December to halt the Japanese advance. In January 1940, Japanese troops crossed the Qiantang River and entered Xiaoshan but were soon defeated by Chinese forces. In April 1942, aircraft from the Doolittle Raid crashed in Lin’an and Sui’an, where local residents rescued the American pilots. In May, the Japanese launched the Zhejiang–Jiangxi Campaign, briefly occupying towns along the Zhejiang–Jiangxi Railway and using chemical and biological weapons during their retreat.

Shortly before Japan’s surrender in August 1945, CCP forces clashed with the KMT and captured Xindeng. In September, a formal surrender ceremony was held, after which KMT forces entered downtown Hangzhou and the CCP retreated north. Between 1945 and 1949, spiralling inflation and KMT military setbacks sparked widespread protests and student movements in Hangzhou against civil war and famine, until the CCP took the city in May 1949.

Contemporary history

After the CCP takeover, Hangzhou positioned itself as mainly a resort city. Restoration efforts focused on the war-damaged West Lake, including ecological conservation and dredging, along with the construction of sanatoriums and parks around the lake. The city also developed into a major hub for light industry, particularly textiles. It served as one of Mao Zedong’s frequent residences and became a regular destination for foreign state visits to China. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), Hangzhou experienced significant labour unrest and factional conflict, known as the Hangzhou Incident.  After 1976, Hangzhou entered a period of rapid economic growth, with a strong emphasis on the retail sector, soon becoming one of the wealthiest cities in China.

In 2000, the municipal government announced plans to build a “Silicon Valley in Paradise,” aiming to strengthen the local technology sector, particularly in information technology and biomedicine. The strategy focused on the development of three key “special zones”: the Hangzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, the Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, and a science park established in collaboration with local universities, especially Zhejiang University. To support innovation and talent cultivation, university towns were established in Xiasha, Liuxia, and Xiaoheshan. The city also undertook the privatisation of state-owned enterprises and adopted business-friendly policies to support both large private corporations and small tech start-ups with high growth potential. In 2001, the county-level cities of Xiaoshan and Yuhang were upgraded to urban districts, and Hangzhou began expanding its road network and tourist attractions beyond the West Lake.

Hangzhou CBD

From 2003 to 2024, Hangzhou consistently ranked first in the number of companies listed among the “Top 500 Chinese Private Enterprises,” with notable firms such as Alibaba and DeepSeek. The city has actively supported private sector development through measures such as streamlining administrative procedures via digitalisation, thereby minimising bureaucratic disruption to businesses. It also offers housing and living subsidies to attract recent graduates. However, the city has also faced challenges, including a problematic housing market, air pollution, and traffic congestion, and increasingly frequent heat waves.

In 2016, the city hosted the eleventh G20 summit. In 2023, Hangzhou was the third city in China to host the Asian Games after Beijing 1990 and Guangzhou 2010.

Administration

Metropolitan area

The Integrated Development of the Yangtze River Delta Region was made a national strategy in 2018. The Central Politburo published the Planning Outline of the Integrated Development of the Yangtze River Delta Region in 2019, which covers all 27 municipalities in 4 provinces, namely Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Anhui. The Department of Coordinated Regional Development under the National Development and Reform Commission is the central authority responsible for overseeing regional planning in the Yangtze River Delta, including the ratification of local development plans.

The most current Hangzhou Metropolitan Area Development Plan was drafted in 2020, approved in 2025 but not yet fully released. According to known information, the Hangzhou Metropolitan Area encompasses most parts of Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Huzhou, and Shaoxing. It covers an area of approximately 22,000 square kilometres (8,500 sq mi) and has a permanent population of 26.939 million. In 2024, Hangzhou participated in the drafting of the Territorial Spatial Planning of Greater Shanghai Metropolitan Area. The current Territorial Spatial Master Plan for Hangzhou Municipality, released in 2025, outlines the regional collaboration that involves the municipality, which include serving the development of Shanghai and consolidating core functions in finance, corporate headquarters, commerce, consumption, and culture within Hangzhou. It proposes the orderly relocation of non-core functions, such as large-scale specialised markets and agricultural logistics centres, to neighbouring cities like Shaoxing, Jiaxing, and Huzhou.

Municipality

Hangzhou is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Zhejiang Province, as well as the provincial seat. Its administrative authority lies with the Hangzhou Municipal People's Government, which is responsible for local governance and the implementation of provincial directives. The legislative body is the Hangzhou Municipal People’s Congress and its Standing Committee, to which the municipal government is accountable. The Hangzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) functions as a consultative body, providing policy advice and recommendations. The administrative, legislative, and judicial branches all operate under the leadership of the Hangzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which determines key personnel appointments with authorisation from higher-level party committees.

Institution	CCP Hangzhou Municipal Committee	Hangzhou Municipal People’s Congress	Hangzhou Municipal People's Government	CPPCC Hangzhou Municipal Committee
Title	Secretary	Chairperson	Mayor	Chairperson
Name	Liu Jie	Liu Huolin	Yao Gaoyuan	Ma Weiguang
Ancestral home	Danyang, Jiangsu	Taizhou, Zhejiang	Cixi, Zhejiang	Shaoxing, Zhejiang
Born	January 1970 (age 55)	November 1961 (age 63)	August 1968 (age 56)	October 1962 (age 62)
Assumed office	December 2021	February 2021	November 2022	January 2022

A pioneer in digital government in China, Hangzhou offers true one‑stop government services—citizens complete any procedure with a single online submission. Behind the scenes, its big‑data office processes requests in seconds, tapping into 40 billion records from 59 departments and handling over 2 million data exchanges every day. By centralising previously siloed information, the city ensures seamless, real‑time updates and faster service delivery. In 2019, Hangzhou established a pilot program artificial intelligence-based Internet Court to adjudicate disputes related to ecommerce and internet-related intellectual property claims. Parties appear before the court via videoconference and AI evaluates the evidence presented and applies relevant legal standards.

Counties and districts

Currently, Hangzhou comprises 10 districts, 1 county-level city, and 2 counties. The West Lake Scenic Area holds the country-level administrative power, though not formally a county or district. As in other Chinese cities, the strong administrative power of local governments typically defined urban spaces within their boundaries, with administrative divisions serving as concrete expressions of that power. Elections to county‑ and district‑level People’s Congresses are held regularly to choose local deputies, who then appoint local government officials and elect representatives to higher‑level congresses; however, independent candidates, who are not members of CCP, remain rare. Each county or district is further subdivided into self‑governing units, namely urban residential communities and village committees, which are not typically regarded as part of state organ and elected by local residents. Unlike residential communities, village committees—even those in urban areas—retain collective ownership of land and other rights.

The upper-level governments also routinely restructures these divisions to steer and stimulate local social and economic development. In the early 90s, the urban districts of Hangzhou only comprised Shangcheng, Xiacheng, Gongshu, Jianggan. On December 11, 1996, Binjiang District was established. On March 12, 2001, Xiaoshan and Yuhang, formerly two county-level cities under the administration of Hangzhou prefecture-level city, were re-organized as two districts. On December 13, 2014, and in July 2017, Fuyang and Lin'an, formerly two county-level cities under the administration of Hangzhou prefecture-level city, were re-organized as two districts. On April 9, 2021, Linping District and Qiantang District was established.

Geography

Scope

The Municipality of Hangzhou comprises thirteen county‑level divisions: the four urban districts Shangcheng, Xiacheng, Gongshu and Xihu; the seven suburban districts Binjiang, Xiaoshan, Yuhang, Linping, Qiantang, Fuyang and Lin’an; the two counties Tonglu and Chun’an; and the county‑level city Jiande. The total area of the municipality is 16,850 square kilometres (6,510 sq mi), of which the urban and suburban districts cover 8,289 square kilometres (3,200 sq mi). These districts are home to 12.52 million residents and the outlying counties to around 2 million more. With a population of 22 million, the metropolitan area includes the municipal districts of Hangzhou and extends into the municipal districts of Huzhou, Jiaxing and Shaoxing; the counties Tonglu, Anji and Deqing; and the county‑level cities Tongxiang, Haining and Zhuji.

A polycentric city, the urban area of Hangzhou is anchored by a single core and complemented by a network of secondary hubs and satellite clusters. At its centre lies the historic downtown of Shangcheng and Gongshu, which is home to the West Lake, major government offices and the principal business district. Beyond this main nucleus, three vice‑centres include: Jiangnan, spreading south of the Qiantang River across Binjiang and Xiaoshan; Xiasha, centred on university campuses and adjacent hi‑tech zone east to the city; and Linping, a node focused on transport interchanges and new residential developments. Surrounding these are six satellite clusters, namely Tangqi, Liangzhu, Yuhang, Yipeng, Guali and Linpu—each combining commercial districts, light industry or research parks with expanding housing estates.

The Hangzhou Municipal Government’s long‑term development strategy directs urban growth eastward, concentrates tourism in the west, fosters expansion along the Qiantang River and encourages development on both riverbanks. As a result, Qianjiang New City, situated east of the historic core on the north bank of the Qiantang River, has been developed to supplant the traditional city centre. Suburban districts, most notably Future Science and Technology City, Qiantang District and Fuchunwan New City, have drawn newcomers and relocated inner‑city residents, creating new clusters as industries relocate. In the outer suburbs of western Fuyang, western Lin’an, Tonglu, Jiande and Chun’an, modern service sectors and e‑commerce have grown around tourism and logistics, generating employment chiefly for local rural inhabitants.

Map
Qiandao Lake Shangcheng Gongshu Binjiang Xihu Xiaoshan Yuhang Fuyang Lin'an Qiantang Linping Tonglu County Chun'an County Jiande (city)
Subdivision	Chinese	Pinyin	Population (2020)	Area (km2)	Density
Central Urban Districts
Shangcheng District	上城区	Shàngchéng Qū	1,323,467	119.68	13,238.68
Gongshu District	拱墅区	Gǒngshù Qū	1,120,985	98.58	8,288.81
Xihu District	西湖区	Xīhú Qū	1,112,992	309.41	2,876.44
Binjiang District	滨江区	Bīnjiāng Qū	503,859	72.22	5,427.86
(West Lake Scenic Area)	(西湖风景名胜区)	Xīhú Fēngjǐng Míngshèng Qū
Suburban Districts
Xiaoshan District	萧山区	Xiāoshān Qū	2,011,659	1000.64	1,212.42
Yuhang District	余杭区	Yúháng Qū	1,226,673	942.38	1,304.94
Linping District	临平区	Línpíng Qū	1,175,841	286.03	17,933.86
Qiantang District	钱塘区	Qiántáng Qū	769,150	523.57	5,930.00
Fuyang District	富阳区	Fùyáng Qū	832,017	1,821.03	407.46
Lin'an District	临安区	Lín'ān Qū	634,555	3,118.77	190.14
Counties
Tonglu County	桐庐县	Tónglú Xiàn	453,106	1,829.59	236.12
Chun'an County	淳安县	Chún'ān Xiàn	328,957	4,417.48	81.04
County-level City
Jiande City	建德市	Jiàndé Shì	442,709	2,314.19	192.72

Topography

Further information: List of hills in Hangzhou

A satellite image of the Yangtze River Delta. The Yangtze's natural sediment discharge can be seen.

Hangzhou is located in northwestern Zhejiang province, at the southern end of the Grand Canal of China, which runs to Beijing, in the south-central portion of the Yangtze River Delta. Its administrative area extends west to the mountainous parts of Anhui province, and east to the coastal plain near Hangzhou Bay. The city center is built around the eastern and northern sides of the West Lake, just north of the Qiantang River.

Of the municipality, 65.6% is mountainous and hilly terrain, 26.4% is plains, and the remaining 8% comprises water bodies and wetlands. The north‑eastern and south‑eastern areas lie in the North Zhejiang Plain, where the land is flat—just 3–6 metres above sea level—and interlaced with rivers and dotted with lakes. By contrast, the north‑western and western areas form part of the Central Zhejiang Hills, featuring ranges such as Tianmu, Baiji and Qianligang; the city’s highest point is Qīngliáng Peak, at 1,787 metres (5,863 ft). Forest resources are especially abundant in Lin’an, Chun’an, Jiande, Tonglu and Fuyang, with Lin’an and Chun’an boasting the greatest woodland cover. Altogether, Hangzhou has about 1,101,100 hectares (2,721,000 acres) of forest, representing a canopy cover of 65.35%.

The Qiantang River stretches between 522–589 kilometres (324–366 mi) in total, of which roughly 220 kilometres (140 mi) course through Hangzhou municipality—and is famed for hosting the world’s largest tidal bore. The Tiaoxi River spans about 150 kilometres (93 mi), with approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) flowing within Hangzhou. The Zhejiang section of the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal measures 83 kilometres (52 mi) overall, 56 km of which lie in Hangzhou. The Xin’an River Reservoir, also known as the Qiandao Lake, covers around 580 square kilometres (220 sq mi) and holds roughly 17.8 billion m³ of water. Hangzhou Bay, into which the Qiantang River discharges, exhibits the greatest tidal range of any coastal inlet in China, rising to nearly 9 metres (30 ft) at spring tides. The world's largest tidal bore races up the Qiantang River through Hangzhou reaching up to 12 metres (39 ft) in height.

Hangzhou lies in a region of low tectonic activity, with the distant Taiwan orogenic belt exerting only a minor influence on local seismicity. Three principal old yet active fault‑zone groups are present: the Xiaoshan–Qiuchuan and Majin–Wuzhen zones, which trend northeast–southwest; the Xiafeng–Sanmenwan and Qiancun–Guali zones, which run northwest–southeast; and the Changhua–Putuo zone, which extends east–west.

Climate

Hangzhou
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     75     8 1     91     10 3     130     14 6     125     21 12     153     26 17     223     29 21     153     33 25     154     33 25     150     28 21     79     23 15     65     17 9     53     11 3 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C █ Precipitation totals in mm Source: The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3     47 34     3.6     50 37     5.1     58 44     4.9     69 54     6     78 63     8.8     84 70     6     92 77     6.1     91 77     5.9     82 69     3.1     73 58     2.6     63 48     2.1     52 38 █ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F █ Precipitation totals in inches

Hangzhou's climate is humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa) with four distinct seasons, characterised by long, very hot, humid summers and chilly, cloudy and drier winters, albeit with occasional snow, due to the alternating control between maritime and polar continental air masses. Owing to the interplay of monsoons with local topography, the climate varies markedly across the region. The hilly terrain to the west generates mountain and valley breezes, while the plains by Hangzhou Bay benefit from sea and land breezes, both of which help moderate local microclimates. Altitudinal differences are also pronounced: below about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), precipitation tends to increase with height, whereas above that level it gradually diminishes.

The city has four distinct seasons: spring and autumn are relatively brief, while summer and winter last considerably longer. Spring typically begins in early to mid‑March, when temperatures rise swiftly yet cold snaps remain frequent, resulting in large day‑to‑night temperature swings. Summer normally arrives in mid to late May: early summer is dominated by the plum‑rain season, bringing humid, sultry conditions and persistent drizzle; midsummer follows with clear, hot weather and little rain, coinciding with the peak typhoon period. Autumn generally sets in from late September to early October, offering crisp, clear days. Winter usually commences in late November or early December, characterized chiefly by bright, cold conditions.

In the city center, the mean annual temperature is roughly 17.5 °C (63.5 °F), and there are around 33 days a year with exceptionally high temperatures. Despite plentiful sunshine overall, total annual sunshine hours can differ substantially between the sunniest and gloomiest years. Average yearly rainfall is about 1,492 mm (58.7 in), but this varies greatly from one year to the next: the wettest year may record 2.5 times more rain than the driest. Within a single year, some 75% of rainfall occurs between May and September, and more than 40% of the days see measurable precipitation. Winds shift with the seasons, blowing predominantly from the northwest in winter and from easterly to south‑westerly directions in summer.

Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −9.6 °C (15 °F) on 6 February 1969 up to 41.9 °C (107 °F) on 3 August 2024; unofficial readings have reached −10.5 °C (13 °F), set on 29 December 1912 and 24 January 1916, up to 42.1 °C (108 °F), set on 10 August 1930.

Climate data for Hangzhou, elevation 42 m (138 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	25.4 (77.7)	28.5 (83.3)	34.0 (93.2)	35.1 (95.2)	37.6 (99.7)	39.7 (103.5)	41.3 (106.3)	41.9 (107.4)	38.8 (101.8)	38.4 (101.1)	31.5 (88.7)	26.5 (79.7)	41.9 (107.4)
Mean maximum °C (°F)	17.4 (63.3)	21.3 (70.3)	25.7 (78.3)	30.6 (87.1)	33.8 (92.8)	35.3 (95.5)	37.9 (100.2)	37.3 (99.1)	34.4 (93.9)	30.3 (86.5)	25.1 (77.2)	19.5 (67.1)	38.2 (100.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	8.6 (47.5)	11.1 (52.0)	15.9 (60.6)	22.1 (71.8)	26.9 (80.4)	29.2 (84.6)	34.0 (93.2)	33.4 (92.1)	28.7 (83.7)	23.6 (74.5)	17.7 (63.9)	11.3 (52.3)	21.9 (71.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)	5.0 (41.0)	7.0 (44.6)	11.1 (52.0)	17.0 (62.6)	22.0 (71.6)	25.0 (77.0)	29.3 (84.7)	28.7 (83.7)	24.5 (76.1)	19.3 (66.7)	13.3 (55.9)	7.4 (45.3)	17.5 (63.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	2.2 (36.0)	4.0 (39.2)	7.6 (45.7)	13.0 (55.4)	18.0 (64.4)	21.8 (71.2)	25.6 (78.1)	25.4 (77.7)	21.4 (70.5)	15.8 (60.4)	10.0 (50.0)	4.3 (39.7)	14.1 (57.4)
Mean minimum °C (°F)	−3.9 (25.0)	−2.3 (27.9)	0.8 (33.4)	5.8 (42.4)	12.1 (53.8)	16.9 (62.4)	21.5 (70.7)	21.4 (70.5)	16.0 (60.8)	9.0 (48.2)	2.5 (36.5)	−2.8 (27.0)	−4.6 (23.7)
Record low °C (°F)	−8.6 (16.5)	−9.6 (14.7)	−3.5 (25.7)	0.2 (32.4)	7.3 (45.1)	12.8 (55.0)	17.3 (63.1)	18.2 (64.8)	12.0 (53.6)	1.0 (33.8)	−3.6 (25.5)	−8.4 (16.9)	−9.6 (14.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	93.3 (3.67)	89.9 (3.54)	135.7 (5.34)	116.8 (4.60)	126.8 (4.99)	258.2 (10.17)	167.5 (6.59)	176.8 (6.96)	113.3 (4.46)	74.1 (2.92)	75.2 (2.96)	64.2 (2.53)	1,491.8 (58.73)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	12.4	11.7	14.9	13.8	13.3	15.4	12.2	13.7	11.2	8.1	10.6	9.7	147
Average snowy days	4.2	2.8	0.8	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.2	1.4	9.5
Average relative humidity (%)	74	73	72	70	71	79	73	75	76	73	75	72	74
Mean monthly sunshine hours	95.6	97.7	120.4	144.7	158.9	120.0	204.6	187.9	139.9	141.6	118.9	112.6	1,642.8
Percentage possible sunshine	30	31	32	37	38	28	48	46	38	40	38	36	37
Source: China Meteorological Administration

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1990	1,845,055	—
2000	3,662,054	+98.5%
2010	5,849,537	+59.7%
2020	9,236,032	+57.9%
sources: (census dates, urban area qu 区)

The population of Hangzhou has soared over recent decades, rising from under one million in the 1980s to over twenty million by the 2020s. From 2015 to 2023 the population of the whole municpality grew by about 3.5 million, making Hangzhou second only to Shanghai in attracting young people across the Yangtze Delta, due to relatively lower housing costs, plentiful private‑sector employment and generous talent‑attraction policies.

Most new residents arrive from provinces outside Zhejiang, while within Zhejiang, net migration is led by Wenzhou, Jinhua and Shaoxing. In 2023, Yuhang, Linping and Binjiang recorded the highest population‐growth rates at 4.13%, 3.95% and 3.68% respectively, whereas Tonglu, Chun’an and Jiande saw declines in their registered populations.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
2000	6,878,722	—
2010	8,700,373	+26.5%
2020	11,936,010	+37.2%
2022	12,376,000	+3.7%
2023	12,522,000	+1.2%
sources: (census dates, administrative division) and (yearend est.)

Age structure

The total fertility rate of Hangzhou, which was 0.96 in 2020, remains far below the 2.1 threshold for replacement and ranks lowest among Zhejiang municipalities. The marriage rate is the lowest in the province and the birth rate, although the highest in Zhejiang, has fallen for six consecutive years to 7.9‰ in 2023. The sex ratio at birth has climbed to 108.43 males per 100 females. That year saw 58 782 death registrations, an increase of 10 802, producing a death rate of 6.89‰, up by 1.18‰.

The life expectancy of 83.18 years for the city's registered population as of 2021, one of the highest in China. In 2023, age distribution shows that children under 18 account for 18.11% of the population, the working‑age cohort aged 18 to 60 has declined to 56.73% and the over‑60 group has risen to 25.16%. Ageing is most pronounced in Lin’an at 29.92%, Jiande at 29.60% and Tonglu at 28.52%, while the districts with the highest shares of working‑age residents are Binjiang at 61.78%, Qiantang at 59.95% and Xihu at 59.33%.

Ethnic groups

In 2023, Hangzhou’s resident population was overwhelmingly Han Chinese, though more than 690,000 people from the other 55 officially recognised ethnic minorities also lived in the city. While most minority groups have migrated from elsewhere in China, the She people are the only minority indigenous to the region. These communities are concentrated in one ethnic township and nineteen ethnic villages across Fuyang, Lin’an, Tonglu, Chun’an and Jiande. These localities are listed as follows:

• Tonglu County (1 township + 7 villages): Eshan She Ethnic Township (莪山畲族乡), Eshan Village (莪山村), Zhongmen Village (中门村), Xinfeng Village (新丰村), Longfeng Village (龙峰村), Wanxia Village (湾下村), Dazhuang Village (大庄村), Jintangwu Village (金塘坞村)
• Jiande City (5 villages): Hucunyuan Village (胡村源村), Shuangquan Village (双泉村), Gaoqiao Village (高桥村), Xiaoxiyuan Village (小溪源村), Tuanjie Village (团结村)
• Lin'an District (5 villages): Tongshan Village (铜山村), Yiyi Village (逸逸村), Zhongshe Village (众社村), Langshan Village (浪山村), Fengshuling Village (枫树岭村)
• Chun'an County (1 village): Fuze Village (富泽村)
• Fuyang District (1 village): Shuangjiang Village (双江村)

Languages

See also: Hangzhou dialect

As a native language, the Taihu branch of Wu Chinese covers roughly 91% of Hangzhou’s territory and is mutually intelligible with the Shanghai, Suzhou, Shaoxing and Ningbo varieties. Within this area three local sub‑dialects are recognised: the Hangzhou variety, confined within the old city walls and noted for its abundant “‑er” suffixes; the Tiaoxi variety, spoken in Yuhang and Xihu; and the Linshao variety, found in Lin’an, Tonglu, Fuyang and Xiaoshan. The remaining 9% of Hangzhou’s land falls within the Hui dialect area, which is concentrated along the upper reaches of the Qiantang River.

However, the vast majority of Hangzhou residents now speak Putonghua, the standardized Mandarin variety based on the Beijing dialect. The Hangzhou dialect, native to the city’s urban core and shaped by northern migrants during the Song dynasty, nevertheless has the smallest geographic range of all Wu varieties. Its use is in sharp decline even in the historical city center, where only 33.95% of residents remain fluent. Among those aged 6–20 fewer than 10% are proficient, one of the lowest youth‑dialect fluency rates in China. Certain local schools in Hangzhou have introduced Hangzhou‑dialect courses to consciously preserve and pass on the dialect.

Religion

Chenghuangmiao located on Wushan, Hangzhou

Buddhism first reached Hangzhou during the Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420), gained momentum during the Five Dynasties (907-979), and peaked under the Southern Song (1127–1279)—by then the region boasted nearly 480 temples. Among these, Jingshan, Lingyin, Jingci and Sanzhu temples all ranked at the head of the “Five Mountains and Ten Temples” system across the Chan, doctrinal and Vinaya traditions.

Since the Song dynasty, a majority of the Muslim immigrants in Hangzhou came from an Arabic-Islamic cultural background due to the trade relations. In the 19th century, it was celebrated as the “stronghold of Islam” in Zhejiang, boasting several mosques adorned with Arabic inscriptions. Two of its most notable survivors are the Hangzhou Mosque and the Phoenix Mosque.

Two of the Three Pillars of Chinese Catholicism were from Hangzhou. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Hangzhou is one of the oldest Catholic churches in China, dating back 400 years to the Ming dynasty. There was persecution of Christians in the early 21st century in the city.

Economy

Zhejiang Stock Exchange in the Qianjiang Central Business District

Alibaba Group Headquarters

As an emerging global city, Hangzhou is also considered a World City with a "Beta+" classification according to GaWC. It was also ranked first in the China Emerging City Rankings of the Economist Intelligence Unit, which assesses Chinese cities growth potential, in both 2021 and 2022. Hangzhou ranked 89 in the Global Financial Centres Index in 2018. As of August 2023, Hangzhou has the tenth-most Fortune Global 500 headquarters of any city in the world and the fourth-most in China – after Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen – within its city limits.

In 2023, Hangzhou’s regional GDP reached ¥2.0059 trillion, marking a 5.6% increase compared to the previous year. The industrial structure by value-added was as follows: 1.7% for the primary sector, 28.3% for the secondary sector, and 70.0% for the tertiary sector. The GDP per capita stood at ¥161,100 (approximately USD 23,000). The total value of goods exports was ¥533.9 billion, up 3.7% year-on-year, accounting for 2.25% of the national total. Actual foreign direct investment (FDI) amounted to USD 8.83 billion, representing 5.41% of China’s total. The city’s general public budget revenue accounted for 13.0% of GDP. Of the total fiscal revenue, 53.2% came from the general public budget, with tax revenue making up 89.7% of the general public budget revenue， ranking first among all sub-provincial cities in China.

Digital economy

Hangzhou's economic growth has been led by the digital sector and the creative/cultural sectors. In 2023, Hangzhou’s core digital economy industries generated ¥1.87 trillion in operating revenue. The value-added of these industries reached ¥567.5 billion, accounting for 28.3% of the city’s GDP. Among them, the software and information services sector contributed ¥439.9 billion in value-added. Notably, e-commerce, digital content, and cloud computing and big data emerged as the fastest-growing sectors, with value-added increases of 13.0%, 9.6%, and 9.9%, respectively. Hangzhou also has a smart city initiative and undertakes efforts to digitize the economy and build a cashless city.

In the inaugural evaluation of China’s 14 National Software Cities organised by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Hangzhou received a three-star rating, ranking second nationwide after Shenzhen. The city is home to one software enterprise with annual revenue exceeding ¥100 billion, 15 firms with revenue between ¥10 billion and ¥100 billion, and 51 companies with revenue between ¥1 billion and ¥10 billion. Enterprises with annual revenue over ¥1 billion accounted for 8.1% of all surveyed software firms, yet contributed to over 90% of the total revenue in Hangzhou’s software and information technology services sector.

The growth of Hangzhou’s tech sector has been significantly shaped by industry leaders such as Alibaba, a major player in e-commerce, and NetEase, a prominent internet technology firm. Their presence has nurtured an innovation ecosystem, drawing in a youthful and tech-savvy workforce. As a result of its internet industry, many programmers from other cities such as Shanghai or Beijing have come to Hangzhou. According to China Information Technology Industry Federation, eight Hangzhou-based companies were recognised among China's Top 100 Competitive Software and Information Technology Service Enterprises: NetEase, Hikvision, H3C, Hundsun Technologies, SUPCON, Dahua Technology, Insigma Technology, and Enjoyor. Additionally, four firms, namely Ant Group, Taotian Group, NetEase, and Bianfeng, were listed among the Top 100 Chinese Internet Companies by Comprehensive Strength.​

In 2024, Hangzhou attracted international attention with DeepSeek, a Chinese AI start-up whose large language model emerged as a serious rival to OpenAI, delivering comparable performance at a fraction of the cost. DeepSeek is one of several high-potential tech ventures collectively dubbed by the Chinese media as the "Six Little Dragons," a term used to highlight the city’s next generation of innovation leaders. These rising stars include DeepSeek, the game developer Game Science, known for its hit title Black Myth: Wukong; BrainCo, a company advancing brain-machine interface technology; and the robotic companies of Unitree and Deep Robotics.

Private enterprises

Hangzhou has firmly established itself as a national leader in the private sector, consistently outperforming other cities in a range of key indicators. According to a recurring survey by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, the city has been ranked first for five years in a row in terms of overall performance among private enterprises. Furthermore, for 22 consecutive years, Hangzhou has led the nation in the number of companies represented on the “Top 500 Chinese Private Enterprises” list. By the end of 2023, Hangzhou was home to approximately 870,500 private enterprises. The value-added from the private sector accounted for 61.2% of the city’s GDP, while private investment made up 51.9% of total fixed asset investment.

Hangzhou is well known for fostering a favourable environment for doing business. The municipal government has progressively strengthened its support for private enterprises through a range of initiatives. Rather than intervening unnecessarily, it takes a service-driven approach, aiming to respond to every request. In promoting scientific and technological innovation, the government takes a long-term view, embracing the principle of “ten years of silence for one moment of brilliance.” Many officials in the local science and technology bureaus have backgrounds in engineering, equipping them with a solid understanding of industry trends and difficulties. Support from the government is not limited to policy—it also involves meaningful financial investment.

Zhejiang ranks second globally, after California, in the number of billionaires, partly due to Alibaba’s expansive investments and extensive business network. With 33 billionaires lived in the city in 2023, Hangzhou ranks 11th in the world and 6th in China, after Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, in terms of the number of billionaires according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2020. Four of the richest 10 people in China lived in Hangzhou, including Zhong Shanshan, founder of Nongfu Spring, and Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba, Ding Lei, founder of NetEase, and Li Shufu, founder of Geely. Colin Huang, founder of Pinduoduo and one of the richest in China, was born and raised in Hangzhou.

Tourism

West Lake

By the end of 2023, Hangzhou had 117 nationally rated A-level tourist attractions, including 3 AAAAA-rated, 43 AAAA-rated, 61 AAA-rated, and 10 AA-rated sites. The West Lake, Qiandao Lake, and Xixi Wetland are the three AAAAA-rated tourist attraction, which attracts the majority of tourists to Hangzhou. Other popular attractions includes Qinghefang Ancient Street, the Grand Canal and the Song Dynasty Town.

Hangzhou is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, along with 48 national priority protected sites, 114 provincially protected sites, 555 municipally (or county-level) protected sites, and 470 additional city-level heritage sites. The West Lake Cultural Landscape was added to the World Heritage List in 2011, followed by the Grand Canal of China in 2014, and the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City in 2019.

In 2023, the city welcomed a total of 119.3 million visitors, both domestic and international, representing a 47.2% increase compared to the previous year. Domestic tourists accounted for over 99% of the total. Tourism revenue reached ¥180.42 billion, up 29.9% year-on-year, with ¥178.49 billion generated from domestic tourism alone, reflecting a 28.8% increase. The tourism and leisure sector contributed ¥109.7 billion in value added—an 18.0% rise, making up 5.5% of Hangzhou’s total GDP.

Development zones

Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone was established and approved as a national development zone by the State Council in 1993. It covers an area of 104.7 km² (40.4 sq mi). Encouraged industries include electronic information, biological medicine, machinery and household appliances manufacturing, and food processing. Hangzhou Export Processing Zone was established on April 27, 2000, upon approval of the State Council. It was one of the first zones and the only one in Zhejiang Province to be approved by the government. Its total planned area is 2.92 km² (1.13 sq mi). It is located close to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport and Hangzhou Port.

Hangzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was set up with approval from the State Council as a state-level high-tech Industrial Development Zone in March 1991. The HHTZ is composed of three parts, with the main regions being the Zhijiang Sci-Tech Industrial Park and Xiasha Sci-Tech Industrial Park. HHTZ has become one of the most influential high-tech innovation and high-tech industry bases in Zhejiang Province. As of 2013, HHTZ hosts more than 1,100 software developers and BPO enterprises. Major companies such as Motorola, Nokia and Siemens have established R&D centers in the zone. In 2011, the GDP of the zone rose by 13.1 percent, amounting to RMB 41.63 billion. This accounted for 5.9 percent of Hangzhou's total GDP. The HHTZ positions itself as the "Silicon Valley" of China. The Alibaba Group is headquartered in the zone.

Culture

Gilt silver Hōkyōintō unearthed from Leifeng Pagoda Site, Zhejiang Provincial Museum

Entertainment

Many theaters in Hangzhou host opera shows such as Yue opera. There are several big shows themed with the history and culture of Hangzhou like Impression West Lake and the Romance of Song Dynasty. The landscapes in Hangzhou bridges stories of celebrities in Chinese history and feelings of ordinary people visiting Hangzhou with joy and enthusiasm.

Museums

There are several museums located in Hangzhou including China National Silk Museum, the largest silk museum in the world, China National Tea Museum, and Zhejiang Provincial Museum, which has a collection of integrated human studies, exhibition and research with over 100,000 collected cultural relics.

Cuisine

Xihu Longjing (西湖龙井), Longjing tea planted near the West Lake

Hangzhou's local cuisine is often considered to be representative of Zhejiang provincial cuisine, one of China's eight fundamental cuisines. The locally accepted consensus among Hangzhou's natives defines dishes prepared in this style to be "fresh, tender, soft, and smooth, with a mellow fragrance".

Generally, Hangzhou's cuisines tend to be sweeter rather than savoury. The local people enjoy a light diet incorporating river fishes from the Yangtze River. There are historical stories revolving around the origins of local dishes.

Dishes such as Pian Er Chuan Noodles (片儿川), West Lake Vinegar Fish (西湖醋鱼), Dongpo Pork (东坡肉), Longjing Shrimp (龙井虾仁), Beggar's Chicken (叫化鸡), Steamed Rice and Pork Wrapped by Lotus Leaves(荷叶粉蒸肉), Braised Bamboo Shoots (油焖笋), Lotus Root Pudding (藕粉) and Sister Song's Fish Soup (宋嫂鱼羹) are some of the better-known examples of Hangzhou's regional cuisine.

Longjing tea is the most famous green tea and rank first among top ten famous teas in China. Those planted by the West Lake is the best Longjing tea. Tea is an important part of Hangzhou's economy and culture. Hangzhou is best known for originating Longjing, a notable variety of green tea.

Transportation

Public

Hangzhou has a bus network consisting of a fleet of diesel, hybrid and electric buses, as well as trolleybuses. Hangzhou was once known for its extensive bus rapid transit network expanding from downtown to many suburban areas through dedicated bus lanes on some of the busiest streets in the city. However, as of mid-2021, all but one BRT routes and feeding routes had closed or been transformed to regular routes. Only route B1 is still in operation.

Taxis are also popular in the city, with the newest line of Hyundai Sonatas and Volkswagen Passats, and tight regulations. In early 2011, 30 electric taxis were deployed in Hangzhou; 15 were Zotye Langyues and the other 15 were Haima Freemas. In April, however, one Zoyte Langyue caught fire, and all of the electric taxis were taken off the roads later that day. The city still intends to have a fleet of 200 electric taxis by the end of 2011. In 2014, a large number of new electric taxis produced by Xihu-BYD (Xihu (westlake) is a local company which produced televisions in the past) were deployed.

Central (to the east of the city centre, taking the place of the former east station), north, south, and west long-distance coach stations offer frequent coach service to nearby cities/towns within Zhejiang province, as well as surrounding provinces.

Hangzhou Metro has a network of 323 km as of mid-2021, not including the Hangzhou-Haining Intercity Railway which has a length of 46 km. Major expansion plans continue. It is the 17th city in China to have a rapid rail transit system. In 2018, the State Council approved the planning for 15 metro lines, including extensions to the three existing lines, scheduled to open in time for the 2022 Asian Games. By then the Hangzhou Metro system is projected have a network of 617 km (383 mi).

The construction of the Metro started in March 2006, and Line 1 opened on November 24, 2012. Line 1 connects city centre with suburbs. It run from Xianghu to Wenze Road with a branch to Lingping, which would later become part of Line 9. By June 2015, the southeast section of Line 2 (starts in Xiaoshan District, ends to the south of the city centre) and a short part of Line 4 (fewer than 10 stations, connecting Line 1 and Line 2) were completed. The system is expected to have 15 lines upon completion; most lines are still under construction. The extensions of Line 2 (city centre and northwest Hangzhou) and Line 4 (east of Binjiang District) opened in 2018. Line 5/6/7/8 opened their first parts in 2019 and 2020.

Hangzhou trolleybus

Hangzhou BRT Line 4 (Closed)

Qiantang River Bridge

Hangzhou Metro Line 1

Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway (Original route to Hangzhou Station)

Cycle hire

Bicycles and electric scooters are very popular, and major streets have dedicated bike lanes throughout the city. Hangzhou has an extensive public bike rental system called the Hangzhou Public Bicycle system. There is a dock-and-station system like those of Paris or London and users can hire bicycles with IC card or mobile phone application. Journeys within 60 minutes are free of charge.

Railways

Hangzhou sits on the intersecting point of some of the busiest rail corridors in China. The city's main station is Hangzhou East station (colloquially "East Station" 东站). It is one of the biggest rail traffic hubs in China, consisting of 15 platforms that house the High Speed services to Shanghai, Nanjing, Changsha, Ningbo, and beyond. The metro station beneath the rail complex building is a stop along the Hangzhou Metro Line 1 and Line 4. There are frequent departures for Shanghai with approximately 20-minute headways from 6:00 to 21:00. Non-stop CRH high-speed service between Hangzhou and Shanghai takes 50 minutes and leaves every hour (excluding a few early morning/late night departures) from both directions. Other CRH high-speed trains that stop at one or more stations along the route complete the trip in 59 to 75 minutes. Most other major cities in China can also be reached by direct train service from Hangzhou. The Hangzhou railway station (colloquially the "City Station" Chinese: 城站) was closed for renovation in mid 2013 but has recently opened again.

A second high-speed rail channel through Hangzhou is operational along with another major station, Hangzhou West, opened on September 22, 2022.

Direct trains link Hangzhou with more than 50 main cities, including 12 daily services to Beijing and more than 100 daily services to Shanghai; they reach as far as Ürümqi. The China Railway High-Speed service inaugurated on October 26, 2010. The service is operated by the CRH 380A(L), CRH 380B(L) and CRH380CL train sets which travel at a maximum speed of 350 km/h (220 mph), shortening the duration of the 202 km (126 mi) trip to only 45 minutes.

Air and sea

Hangzhou is served by the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, which provides direct service to many international destinations such as Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Netherlands, Qatar, Portugal and the United States, as well as regional routes to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau. It has an extensive domestic route network within the PRC and is consistently ranked top 10 in passenger traffic among Chinese airports.

The Port of Hangzhou is a small river port with a cargo throughput that exceeds 100 million tons annually.

Education and research

See also: List of universities in China

Hangzhou is a major city for education and scientific research in China, ranking 8th in Asia-Oceania region and 13th globally by the Nature Index as of 2024. Hangzhou hosts many universities, most notably the Zhejiang University, one of the world's top 100th comprehensive public research universities and a member of the C9 League, an alliance of elite Chinese universities offering comprehensive and leading education,

Hangzhou has a large student population, with college towns such as Xiasha, located near the east end of the city, and Xiaoheshan, located near the west end of the city. Universities in Hangzhou include China Academy of Art, China Jiliang University, Communication University of Zhejiang, Hangzhou City University (also known as Zhejiang University City College), Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou Normal University, Westlake University, Zhejiang A&F University, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Zhejiang International Studies University (also known as Zhejiang Education Institute), Zhejiang Normal University, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, and Zhongfa Aviation Institute of Beihang University.

Provincial key public high schools in Hangzhou include Hangzhou No. 2 High School, Hangzhou Xuejun High School, Hangzhou High School, Hangzhou No. 14 High School, Hangzhou No. 4 High School, High School Attached to Zhejiang University, The Affiliated High School to Hangzhou Normal University, and Hangzhou Foreign Language School.

Private high schools in Hangzhou include Hangzhou Green Town Yuhua School, Hangzhou Chinese International School, Hangzhou International School and Hangzhou Japanese School (杭州日本人学校) (nihonjin gakkō).

International relations

Hangzhou is twinned with:

• Isfahan, Iran (2024)

City	Division	Country	Since
Sayama	Saitama Prefecture	Japan	1978
Gifu	Gifu Prefecture	Japan	1979
Weert	Limburg	Netherlands	Unknown
Boston	Massachusetts	United States	1982
Baguio	N/A	Philippines	1982
Leeds	West Yorkshire	United Kingdom	1988
Fukui	Fukui Prefecture	Japan	1989
Nice	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur	France	1994
Galway	County Galway	Ireland	1996
Paramaribo	Paramaribo District	Suriname	1988
Budapest	N/A	Hungary	1999
Cape Town	Western Cape	South Africa	2005
Oviedo	Principado de Asturias	Spain	2006
Curitiba	Paraná	Brazil	2007
Dresden	Saxony	Germany	2009
Indianapolis	Indiana	United States	2009
Oulu	Northern Ostrobothnia	Finland	2011
Atlanta	Georgia	United States	2012
Hamamatsu	Shizuoka Prefecture	Japan	2012
Lugano	Ticino	Switzerland	2012
Dnipro	Dnipropetrovsk Oblast	Ukraine	2013
El Calafate	Santa Cruz	Argentina	2013
Split	Split-Dalmatia County	Croatia	2014
Queenstown	Otago	New Zealand	2015
Maribor	City Municipality of Maribor	Slovenia	2017
Greenwich	Greater London	United Kingdom	2017
Heidelberg	Baden-Württemberg	Germany	2018
Kota Kinabalu	Sabah	Malaysia	2019
Tallinn	Harju County	Estonia	Unknown
Middlesbrough	North Yorkshire	United Kingdom	Unknown
Hanoi	Hanoi	Vietnam	2023

See also

• Historical capitals of China
• Jiangnan
• List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population
• Suzhou numerals – in the Unicode standard version 3.0, these characters are incorrectly named Hangzhou style numerals
• Chinese destroyer Hangzhou

References

Sources

General

•  This article incorporates text from The Middle kingdom: a survey of the ... Chinese empire and its inhabitants ..., by Samuel Wells Williams, a publication from 1848, now in the public domain in the United States.
•  This article incorporates text from The middle kingdom: a survey of the geography, government, education, social life, arts, religion, etc. of the Chinese empire and its inhabitants, Volume 2, by Samuel Wells Williams, John William Orr, a publication from 1848, now in the public domain in the United States.
•  This article incorporates text from The Chinese repository, Volume 13, a publication from 1844, now in the public domain in the United States.
•  This article incorporates text from The Baptist missionary magazine, Volume 29, by American Baptist Missionary Union. Executive Committee, Baptist General Convention. Board of Managers, a publication from 1849, now in the public domain in the United States.
•  This article incorporates text from My holidays in China: An account of three houseboat tours, from Shanghai to Hangehow and back via Ningpo; from Shanghai to Le Yang via Soochow and the Tah Hu; and from Kiukiang to Wuhu; with twenty-six illustrations (from photographs), by William R. Kahler, a publication from 1895, now in the public domain in the United States.
•  This article incorporates text from Reports from the consuls of the United States, Issues 124–127, by United States. Bureau of Foreign Commerce, a publication from 1891, now in the public domain in the United States.
•  This article incorporates text from Memoirs of the Rev. Walter M. Lowrie: missionary to China, by Walter Macon Lowrie, Presbyterian church in the U.S.A. Board of foreign missions, a publication from 1854, now in the public domain in the United States.
•  This article incorporates text from Darkness in the flowery land: or, Religious notions and popular superstitions in north China, by Michael Simpson Culbertson, a publication from 1857, now in the public domain in the United States.
• Yule, Henry (2002), The Travels of Friar Odoric
• Economic profile for Hangzhou at HKTDC
• Worthy, Edmund H. (1983). "Diplomacy for Survival: Domestic and Foreign Relations of Wü Yueh, 907–978". In Rossabi, Morris (ed.). China among Equals: the Middle Kingdom and its Neighbors, 10th–14th centuries. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. pp. 17–44.

Local chronicles

• Hangzhou Municipal Local Chronicles Compilation Committee (1995). Ren, Zhentai (ed.). 杭州市志 [Hangzhou Municipal Chronicle] (in Simplified Chinese). Beijing: Zhonghua Book Company.
• Hangzhou Municipal Local Chronicles Office (2015). Jia, Daqing (ed.). 杭州市志 [Hangzhou Municipal Chronicle] (in Simplified Chinese). Beijing: Publishing House of Local Records.
• Hangzhou Municipal Local Chronicles Office (2024). 杭州年鉴2024 [Hangzhou Yearbook 2024] (in Simplified Chinese). Beijing: Publishing House of Local Records.

Further reading

See also: Bibliography of the history of Hangzhou

• Cotterell, Arthur (2007). The Imperial Capitals of China: An Inside View of the Celestial Empire. London: Pimlico. p. 304. ISBN 978-1-84595-009-5.
• Gernet, Jacques (1962). Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250–1276. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-0720-0. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

External links

• Hangzhou Government website
• Arts Crafts Museum Hangzhou in Google Cultural Institute
• EN.GOTOHZ.COM Archived July 3, 2020, at the Wayback Machine – The Official Website of Hangzhou Tourism Commission
• TRAVELWESTLAKE – The Official Travel Guide of Hangzhou
• TRAVELZHEJIANG – The Official Travel Guide of Zhejiang Province
• Geographic data related to Hangzhou at OpenStreetMap